Manufacture of shoes



Patented May 13, 1930 UNITED sTATEs, PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK P..WILLIAMS, F LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED SHOE MA- CHINERY'CORPORATION, 0F PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY MANFACTURE or snoEs Application med March 29, 1927. serial No. 179,345.

rIphis invention relates to methods for use in the manufacture of shoes, particularly shoes having wooden or similar heels.

In attaching a wooden heel to a shoe it is l' a prime requisite that a tight edge joint be secured between the marginal portion of the heel seat and the peripheral rim of the heel.`

Under ordinary commercial conditions of shoe manufacture, by the methods heretofore used, difficulty is experienced at times in producing the desired tight edge joint, and it is 4 one ofthe objects of the present invention to overcome this difficulty, without sacrificing any other desirable feature of the shoe, in a more etlicient manner lthan has heretofore been suggested.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method-which will make it commercially practicable to produce in the interior of a shoe a heel seat which is more nearly flat than those heretofore produced by ordinary methods of shoe manufacture, without any additional labor or expense.

The foregoing objects are successfully and efficiently accomplished by the present invention which consists, in one aspect, in supporting the periphery of the heel-seat inside the shoe and leaving the central portion thereof unsupported so that in various Shoemaking operations external pressure exerted upon the heel seat, while it is being prepared for the reception of the heel and during the attachment of the heel, will be concentrated mainly upon the periphery thereof, producing an exceptionally tight edge joint. Inasmuch as the central portion of the heel seat is unsupported, by reason for example of a concavity in the heel seat of the last, it becomes practicable to use heels, the cup in the 'attaching face of which is not as deep as has heretofore been considered necessary, Awith the result that a more nearly at heel seat may be obtained inside of the shoe, as will be explained in detail hereinafter.

In another aspect the invention provides an improved method for use in .the manuof a shoe, leaving the central portion of the heel seat unsupported, and pounding or otherwise depressing the unsupported central portlon to draw the marginal portion tightly over the edge of the last. The Vcounter and upper of the shoe are thus made to conform closely to the last and the marginal portion of the heel seat maybe pounded to make it rm and even for the reception of the heel. A cupped heel, that is, one having a raised, peripheral rim and a depressed interior on its attaching face, may then be applied to the heel seat and easily forced into tight engagement with thev marginal portion thereof by pressure which will be concentrated mainly about the edge, since the central portion of the heel seat is unsupported and will yield easily.

Preferably, the heel is glued and held temporarily'in, position upon the heel seat by means of a screw extending freely through the last and engaging, by its thread, the heel seat materials and the heel. A screw which is suitable for this purpose is disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,- 615,258, granted Jan. 25, 1927, on application of .Maurice V. Bresnahan. The action of such a screw in cooperation with the last of the present invention is first to press together the central portions of the glued surfaces of the heel and the heel seat, then to maintain said central portions in fixed relation and nally to press or draw the peripheral portions of said surfaces tightly together. The pressure upon the central portions of the surfaces is light as compared with the final pressure on the margins and a tight edge joint is` heel end of a sewed seat turn shoe .upon the last;

Fig the shoe after the heel seat has been pounded down;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing a heel applied to the heel seat and in process of being temporarily secured thereto;

Fig. 5 shows the heel permanently attached by inside nailing; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing a shoe, such as a welt or McKay, having an open seat.

As shown in the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a last suitable for use in the practice of the present invention. The entire heel seat portion 12 of the last is concave and is covered by a concave metallic heel plate 14 secured by nails 16. The concavity of the plate and last deepens gradually from the periphery of the heel seat toward the center which, for example, may be 1/8 inch ormore below the periphery. At the breast line the surface of the plate merges into the convex shank portion of the last.

In the manufacture of sewed seat turn shoes, to whichwooden heels are to be attached, the seam connecting the upper and sole extends around the heel'end of the shoe, where the counter also is sewed with the upper. to the sole. After turning, the lining is smoothed out upon the sole inside of the shoe,

a shank iece is inserted in the shoe, the shoe is place upon the second last, and the peripheral portion of the sole which extends outwardly over the inturned margin of the upper is trimmed away, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the rim of the heel shall rest directly upon the upper. The operation of trimming away the peripheral portion of the sole is termed heel seat fitting. h

In the drawings the upper 18 and the counter20 are shown as secured by stitches 22 to a sole 24. A lining 26 is shown as smoothed out upon the bottom of the shoe and a shank piece 28, which has been introduced over the lining, lies between the sole 24 and the heel v plate 14 of the last.

While in this condition the shoe may be shaped to the last by pounding its counter portion against the sidesof the last with a hammer and the heel seat may be pounded down and formed for the reception of the heel. With the illustrated last the margnal portion of the heel seat is supported inside of the-shoe but, by reason of the concavity of the heel seat portion of the last, the central portion of the heel seat of the shoe is unsupported and may readily be depressed by pounding, with the result that the marginal portion of the heel seat is drawn tightly over the last. The said marginal portion is also pounded to make it firmv and even for the reception of the rim of the heel. By this operaton the heel seat is formed, the inturned 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing v ortions of the upper 18 and counter 20 being 'sposed at a sharply defined angle to the sides of the last, as shown in Fig. 3, and the heel portion .of the shoe is in the best possible shape for the easy production of a tight and the shoe.

In Figs. 2 and 3 the base portion of the inconspicuous edge joint between a heel and v heel which is to be applied to theshoe is shown sov ily to afford ample opportunity for shapingl up the perpheral portion of the heel seat withoutinterference by the upwardly projecting central portion of the sole, as is the case when a last having a convex heel late is used, and the force ofthe blows of the ammer is concentrated mainly at the margin or periphery of the heel-seat.

In the case of McKay or other open seat shoes, the heel seats of which may be lasted 4 by machine, the usual'procedure will be practiced up to the point of lasting the heel seat. In lasting the heel seat the upper 18 and the counter 20 will be wiped inwardly over an insole 30, as shown in Fig. 6, or over the shank piece, if it is a nailed-seat turn, and, because of the concavty ofthe heel plate of the last, the-pressure of the lasting machine Wipers 32 will be relieved inside ofthe periphery of the heel seat and will be concentrated mainly ioo v upon the peripheral portion 34 of the heel seat adjacent to the inward bend of the coun-` ter. This results in the formatori of a very pronounced and well defined angle about the periphery of the heel seat and insures that the counter will t snugly against the sides and end of the heel portion of the last.

After the upper and counter are wiped in place over the insole 30 the usual tacks 36 are driven to hold them in place. This operation, together with the pounding which is done upon .the heel seat not only in conjunction with the driving of the lasting tacks but, if

desired, in addition thereto. tends to depress the central portion `of the heel seat into the concavity of the last in the same manner as heretofore described inV connection with the manufacture of sewed-seat shoes. After the attachment of the outsole 24 the heel seat will be fitted as usual by the removal of the periphery .of the sole, the remaining central portion of which may be nailed or tacked to the insole.

After the heel seat has been fitted and prepared as described, a. cupped heel 38, Fig. 4. of propershape and dimensions, is applied to the heel seat. Either or both of the contacting surfaces of the heel and heel seat may be glued and the heel may be clamped to the shoe in any desired manner. Preferably, however, a method similar to that disclosed in the Bresnahan patent, hereinbefore mentioned, will be utilized at this stage in the attachment of the heel. According to this method, after the heel seat has been fitted and the heelglued and applied to the shoe, a drill is' passed through a hole 40 with which -the last is provided and is caused to penetrate A the insole, or shank piece, and the outsole and to enter the body of the heel 38. The drill is then withdrawn and a long screw 42 is inserted which, when screwed home, will come to a bearing at 44 upon the cone of the last and engage, by its threaded portion, the shank piece or insole, the outsole and the heel. The holes made by the drill are slightly smaller than the screw and the first thing which 0ccurs when the point of the screw engages the insole or the shank piece is to press together the central portions of the glued surfaces of the heel seat and the attaching face of the heel. Although this pressure is comparatively light, it is adequate to maintain sufficient contact between the surfaces to produce a strong glued joint.

When the screw is turned through the mate-rials of the heel seat and into the body of the heel it positively maintans the contacting surfaces in fixed relation. When the screw finally comes to a bearing upon the cone of the last, further rotation of the screw tends to draw both the heel and the materials in the central portion of the heel -seat toward the last, forcing the peripheral rim 46 of the heel tightly against the previously formed marginal portion of the heel seat. In this stage of the operation the pressure with which the central portion of the heel seat and the attaching face of the heel are held together is not increased, but the heel is pressed strongly upon the shoe with pressure which is concentrated mainly at the periphery of the heel seat, thus insuring that there will be a line of Contact entirely around the rim ofl the heel and that a tight joint will be secured between the heel vand the upper, with the consequent substantial elimination of any rand crease and solid attachment of the soleto the heel regardless of the thickness of the heel-seat materials and the depth of the cup in the heel.

After the screw has remained in the work long enough for the glue to set, the screw is removed and the last is withdrawn from the shoe. The shoe is then presented to a machine for permanently attaching the heel by inside nailing, whereby a suitable number of nails 48 are inserted from the inside of the shoe into the heel. These nails, in addition to the adhesion produced by the glue, afford a very strong and solid heel attachment.

One of the reasons why trouble has heretofore been encountered in securing a tight edge joint between a wooden or similar heel and a shoe upon which the heel-seat tting operation had been performed, is that the total thickness of the materials in the interior portion of the heel seat is different in different shoes and is often so great that when the heel is applied to a particular shoe theinterior portion of the attaching face of the heel comes to a bearing upon said materials, which are unyieldingly supported by the convex heel portion of the last, before the periphery of the heel is in firm engagement with the upper. Attempts have been made to remedy this trouble by using a heel having L a deep cup in its attaching face, with the idea that 4the periphery of such a heel could always be forced into tight engagement with the marginal portion of the heel seat, but experience has vshown that there is an inherent danger in this remedy in that too deep a depression in the heel e d of the interior of the shoe is liable to resu t from the drawing or lforcing of the heel-seat materials down into the cup when the heel attaching nails are driven. This deep depression is generally regarded as undesirable, the ideal of many maki nearly fiat and which, in the trade, is called a flat heel seat.

It will be apparent that the present invention ,makes it possible to secure a tight edge joint between the heel and the shoe with a heel having a cup which is no deeper than the average thickness of the materials in the central portion of the heel seat, since said central portion is unsupported and aemoderate amount of variation in the thickness of` sai-d materials will not detract from the centainty with which the desired tight edge joint will be produced. It, therefore, becomes commercially practicable to produce in the interior of a shoe a heel seat which ,is more nearly flat than those heretofore produced by ordinary methods of shoe manufacture, without any additional labor or eX- pense.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in lasting the heel seat of a shoe, supporting the peripheral edge of said heel seat inside of the shoe, leaving the central portion ofv said heel seat unsupported, pounding said unsupported central portion to draw said marginal portion tightly` lover the support, and pounding said marginal portion to make it firm and even for the reception of a heel. j

2., That improvement in methods of making shoes whlch'consists in lfitting the heel seat of a shoe for the reception of' a heel, applying a heel to the heel seat, applying to the heel and the peripheral edge of the heel seat pressurewhich is independent of the thickness of the interior of the heel seat, permitting the interior of the heel seat to yield, and securing the heel to the shoe. v

l3. That improvement in'` methods of making shoes which consists' in disposing the inturned portions of an upper and a counter at a sharply7V dened an le to the sides of the A last,apply1ng a cuppe heel to the heel seat with its peripheral rim in contact withthe angle formed in the upper and counter, pressing the heel upon the upper to insure-continuous contact between the peripheral rim of theheel and upper vaboutthe heel seat, and securing the heel by inside nailing;

4. `That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in supporting only the peri heral edge o'f the heel seat applying to tlie heel seata heel having a raised riml and adepressed interior on its attachlng face, thereby securing continuous contact between the peripheral edge of the heel seat of the shoe and the rim ofthe heel, and attaching the heel by( inside nailing to secure the interior portion of the heel seat of the shoe in contact with the depressed interiorof the heel. l f

5. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in wiping in the margin of the upper and counter over the heel seat, concentrating the wiping pressure mainly at the peripheral edge ofthe he'el seat, disposing the inturned portions of the upper and counter at a sharply defined angle to the sides of the last, applying a cupped heel to the heel seat with its peripheral rim in contact with the portion of the upper to which the greatest lasting pressure has been applied, pressing the heel upon the upper to insure continuous contact betweenthe peripheral rim of theheel and upper about the heel seat, temporarily securing the-heel, removing the last, and permanentlysecuring the heel by inside nailing.

6. That improvement in methods of making shoes which includes lastingv a shoe on a last having a concavity in its heel seat,

seat portions of the shoe into conformity with the shape ofthe adjacent faces of the last,

including said concave face, producing there- '9. That improvementin methods of making shoes which includes lasting a shoe on a last having a heel plate which presents an outer concave face, forcing t-he sole at the heel seat into the concavity of the'heel seat of the last vto produce a well defined edge at the margin of the heel seat, disposing a heel with its peripheral rim in contact with said mar in, pressing the heel against the shoe to pro uce a close edge joint a betweenvthe upper and the heel, withdrawing the last, and nailing the shoe to the heel from l the way around theinside.

10. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists 'in fitting the vheel seat of a shoe for the reception of a heel, applying adhesive between the attaching. face of a heel and said heel seat, pressingthe heel upon the heel seat by pressure concentrated mainly at the periphery of the heel seat, and

maintaining said pressure until the adhesive has set.

11. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in pressing together the central portions of the yglued surfaces of a heel and the heel vseat ofa shoe, maintaining saidV central portions in -fixed relation, and then pressing the peripheral portions of said surfaces tightly to ether.

In testimony w ereof I have signed my name to this specification.

`FREDERICK P.WILLIAMS.

whereby the interior portion ofthe heel seat n of the shoe is unsupported,depressing the interior portion of the heel seat into the-concavity in the last, and pressing a heel upon the marginal' ortion of the heel seat of the shoe while said interior portionv is unsupported.

7. That improvement in methods of attaching wood heels which consists in gluing a heel, applying it tothe heel seat of a shoe, forcing the heel and heelseat together'by pressure concentrated mainly at the periphery of the heel seat, allowing the glue to set, and permanently securing the interior por.-

tion of the material at the heel seat of the shoe-to the attaching face of the heel.

8. That improvement in methods of making turn shoes which includes lasting al shoe on a last having a heel plate which presents a concave face, pounding up the counter and 

